potter

1
[ pot-er ]
See synonyms for potter on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who makes pottery.

Origin of potter

1
before 1100; Middle English; late Old English pottere.See pot1, -er1

Other definitions for potter (2 of 3)

potter2
[ pot-er ]

verb (used without object), nounChiefly British.

Origin of potter

2
1520–30; frequentative of obsolete, dial. pote to push, poke, Middle English poten,Old English potian to push, thrust. See put, -er6

Other words from potter

  • pot·ter·er, noun
  • pot·ter·ing·ly, adverb

Other definitions for Potter (3 of 3)

Potter
[ pot-er ]

noun
  1. Be·a·trix [bee-uh-triks], /ˈbi ə trɪks/, 1866–1943, English writer and illustrator of children's books.

  2. Paul, 1625–54, Dutch painter.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use potter in a sentence

  • For several weeks he and Dr. Wolff had pottered about the set of rooms that were to be graced by Georgie's presence.

  • Furthermore, he was hungry, and he did not propose to lie there and starve while old Cash pottered around the stove.

    Cabin Fever | B. M. Bower
  • People that pottered round and skipped about from one thing to another were bound to lose.

    The Devourers | Annie Vivanti Chartres
  • Bentham pottered about in the grounds and under the old chestnut-trees, codifying, gardening, and talking to occasional disciples.

  • Hurried as he professed to be, the trail foreman pottered around as if time was worthless, but finally mounted.

    Wells Brothers | Andy Adams

British Dictionary definitions for potter (1 of 3)

potter1

/ (ˈpɒtə) /


noun
  1. a person who makes pottery

British Dictionary definitions for potter (2 of 3)

potter2

esp US and Canadian putter

/ (ˈpɒtə) /


verb
  1. (intr; often foll by about or around) to busy oneself in a desultory though agreeable manner

  2. (intr; often foll by along or about) to move with little energy or direction: to potter about town

  1. (tr usually foll by away) to waste (time): to potter the day away

noun
  1. the act of pottering

Origin of potter

2
C16 (in the sense: to poke repeatedly): from Old English potian to thrust; see put

Derived forms of potter

  • potterer or esp US and Canadian putterer, noun

British Dictionary definitions for Potter (3 of 3)

Potter

/ (ˈpɒtə) /


noun
  1. (Helen) Beatrix. 1866–1943, British author and illustrator of children's animal stories, such as The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)

  2. Dennis (Christopher George). 1935–94, British dramatist. His TV plays include Pennies from Heaven (1978), The Singing Detective (1986), and Blackeyes (1989)

  1. Paulus. 1625–54, Dutch painter, esp of animals

  2. Stephen. 1900–70, British humorist and critic. Among his best-known works are Gamesmanship (1947) and One-Upmanship (1952), on the art of achieving superiority over others

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012